


AU Drabbles

by Shamaru



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire | Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Versions
Genre: F/F, M/M, will add tags as i write more
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-05-01
Packaged: 2018-05-29 14:42:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6380380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shamaru/pseuds/Shamaru
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which the author finds AU prompts online and writes one shots for them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chocolate Kisses

**Author's Note:**

> "You asked me if I wanted a kiss and then pulled out a chocolate kiss while I was stammering and I'm very disappointed tbh" AU

Archie had seen the little trick online and had laughed, wanting to try it out for himself. He wasn’t one for mean tricks and this one was perfectly harmless. So he’d gone out and bought a big bag of chocolate kisses and had stuffed them into his backpack just to make sure he remembered them in the morning.

In the morning he’d almost been late to his first college class and had found that his books had smashed some of the chocolate flat which was a bit of a letdown. Not like flat kisses would stop him from eating them, but he didn’t want to hand out the flattened sweets. He wound up asking his best bro, Matt, if he wanted a few kisses. The taller male had of course already seen the joke and had laughed as he readily accepted, Archie chuckling as he handed several of the sweets to his friend.

During a break between classes Archie spotted another of his friends and waved her over. Shelly smiled as she jogged over to the spot beneath an old oak tree where Archie sat and plopped his backpack down in the grass before sitting nearby.

“What’s up, Archie?” She greeted, raising a brow when she was met with a grin.

“Nothin’ much. Just wanted ta ask if ya wanted a kiss.” Archie replied. He had to bite back a chuckle when Shelly raised a brow. Apparently she hadn’t caught onto the joke. If she did she was feigning ignorance.

“A kiss?” She repeated. She watched Archie for a moment before half grinning and rolling her eyes. “Is this the part where you pull out one of those chocolate kisses as a joke?”

Archie’s smile faded into a slight pout as the joke was pulled away from him. “Dang it, Shelly, ya weren’t supposed ta figure it out!” As his friend laughed he pulled out a few sweets and handed them to her. 

“Sorry, but Matt’s already showed me videos of people doing it to each other. Nice try though.” Shelly smiled victoriously as she unwrapped a chocolate and popped it into her mouth. “Maybe you’ll catch someone off guard with it today. I might see if I can get Tabitha with it.”

Throughout the day Archie attempted to catch someone who hadn’t already heard the chocolate kiss joke, but luck just wasn’t on his side.

He’d tried with Giovanni, but was pretty sure the Italian student had started cursing at him.

One of his classmates, Cyrus, just stared at him with a deadpan expression as he always did. Archie wasn’t even sure why he thought he was get a reaction out of that kid.

Lysandre apparently hadn’t found it very funny, but at least he’d thanked Archie for the chocolate.

On the other hand Augustine had chuckled, but he’d already heard the joke before too so Archie still counted it as a failure.

In a fit of desperation he’d even tried the joke on a professor, but in hindsight that had been a bad idea. Professor Ghetsis was terrifying enough when he wasn’t trying to stab you with a pen. 

By the time his last class ended Archie was sure he wasn’t going to find anyone else to even attempt the joke on. He really didn’t want to try with strangers since he knew a few of the girls had crushes on him. Or at least he thought so. Either way he didn’t want to accidently hurt someone if he ended up getting their hopes up. With a sigh he made his way down the sidewalk toward the parking lot when he happened to notice someone sitting on a bench near the campus fountain. 

Archie was sure he knew that redhead. They had a few classes together and he’d been a big help whenever Archie found himself without notes. Sometimes they talked, but not enough that Archie would really consider them as friends. He wasn’t entirely a stranger though, so with a grin the dark skinned student jogged over toward the fountain.

As he neared he could see the other engrossed in a book, paying no mind to the approaching student behind him. After a moment Archie cleared his throat, trying not to laugh when the redhead jumped slightly and whipped around to face him so fast his glasses shifted. 

“Uh, hello.” The redhead greeted in a nervous voice, shifting his glasses back into place and sitting up straight. 

“Hey. Maxie, right?” The other nodded and Archie smiled. He found it kind of funny that Maxie seemed to copy his smile a moment later. “I just came over ta ask ya somethin’.”

Maxie seemed slightly surprised at that. “Oh, are you having trouble in one of your classes? I know Giovanni keeps telling people I’m a good tutor, but I’m really not.”

“What? No, no, no. I’m not here fer school, man. I wanted ta ask if, well, if ya wanted a kiss.” He couldn’t help his smile widening, but very slowly it began to fade.

Maxie had frozen stiff in his seat and his face was quickly turning a dark shade of red. His eyes had gone wide behind the glasses and his jaw dropped slightly as he started stuttering and choking on words. Fearing he’d triggered the redhead somehow, Archie brought his hands up to a surrendering pose.

“Whoa, Maxie, calm down! You look like ye’re about to explode! It was just a joke, man. Look, see?” Quickly he pulled one of the remaining chocolate kisses from his bag and held it out to the shocked looking student. “There. I gave ya a kiss.”

To his confusion Maxie seemed to deflate upon seeing the candy offered to him. For a long minute the redhead simply stared at the kiss then slumped in his seat with a very soft “Oh”. Archie wasn’t quite sure what to think about that.

“Yeah, um, sorry about that. Guess ya never heard the joke goin’ around.”

“No. I… haven’t.”

Now Archie was beginning to feel bad about pulling that joke on his classmate. Maxie had sounded so defeated just then.

“Hey, ya alright? I’m really sorry, Maxie.”

“You really shouldn’t pull such jokes on people who like you, you know.”

“Yeah, I kn- wait, what?”

Archie raised a brow as Maxie seemed to catch his words, eyes widening again as he pressed his lips into a thin line. Slowly the taller student grinned and the redhead’s ears turned red in embarrassment. 

“Ya like me? Do ya have a crush on me, Maxie?”

“I-I didn’t mean-“

“Hey, ya want a kiss?”

Maxie frowned now, more a pout than an angry look. “You’ve already pulled that trick on me, Archie, and I would appreciate it if you- mmph!”  
Any further protest was cut off as Archie suddenly tugged the other forward and sealed their lips together, grinning as Maxie seemed to melt against him. Maybe he’d try pulling internet jokes more often.


	2. Date Sign

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “I got into a bad accident that left me mute. You’re the one teaching me sign language.” AU

“I’ve set you an appointment for this afternoon, Tabitha.”

The dark-haired man glanced at Maxie from his kitchen table and raised a brow. After a moment he turned to look down at the open notebook in front of him and began to write with a bold black sharpie.

_‘Why?’_

When Maxie’s attention stayed on the pan of eggs he was currently scrambling instead of looking toward the table, Tabitha frowned. He tapped the sharpie against the wood loudly until the redhead glanced up and read his note, looking a bit sheepish for a moment. Being unable to gain attention quickly was the worst part about losing his voice.

“Well,” Maxie started, scraping the pan of eggs as he spoke. “You need an easier way of communicating. I found someone to teach you sign language. Courtney and I will be learning as well, but we’ll have a different instructor so that you get lessons at your own pace instead of worrying about us.” He smiled gently as he headed toward the table, two plates balanced in his hands. One was set in front of the larger man and one he set in front of himself before having a seat.

The quiet scratching of the marker on paper and the clink of Maxie’s fork hitting his plate was all that heard for a few minutes. Then Tabitha slid his notebook to face Maxie and began eating his breakfast while the other read.

_‘I’m not going to enjoy learning sign language. It seems frustrating. But I suppose I’ll try if just for the fact that it might prove easier in the long run than constantly writing things down. I’m not sure how long I can actually keep doing this without losing my mind. I think I’m starting to get high off the smell of this marker.’_

Maxie couldn’t help but chuckle at that.

The building they pulled up to seemed nice enough; well-maintained with a new coat of paint on its outer walls. It looked quite professional and the three friends approved of it silently. Inside was just as nice. They had high expectations as they were led down a hall to meet with their new instructors. The young woman who greeted them was both polite and professional, passing the group’s unspoken test with flying colors.

“Hello, everyone. My name is Shelly and I’ll be your sign language instructor. Now which of you three is Tabitha?” She asked. When the man in question raised his hand slightly the instructor smiled. “I’d like to ask you to follow me. You’ll be working with Matt down the hall instead of with me.”

With a nod and a quick wave to Maxie and Courtney, the mute man turned and followed Shelly. She lead him a few doors down and stopped at one standing slightly ajar. “Matt’s a little quick sometimes so don’t be afraid to make him slow down, alright? I’ll leave you to your lessons then. Best of luck!”

Tabitha shook his head slightly as he watched the woman head back to her room, giving his friends a last glance before they disappeared into the room to begin their own lessons. Taking a deep breath and steeling himself, the dark-haired man turned around and pushed open the door. Before he even had one foot fully inside the room he paused at the sight of his instructor. The man seated before him was a hulking giant and his plain blue polo shirt seemed to be having trouble containing the amount of muscle he possessed. In complete contrast to Shelly this man, in Tabitha’s opinion, didn’t seem professional at all. Nevertheless, Tabitha hesitantly entered.

“Good afternoon!” The man greeted loudly, making Tabitha frown. Did he think his client was deaf as well as mute? “Tabitha, right? Come on in and have a seat! We’ll get’cha started right away!”

The mute man could already feel a headache coming on.

Over the next few weeks the lessons gradually paid off and Tabitha began to gain confidence in his signing ability. He seemed to learn faster than Maxie or Courtney which surprised him and, in a humorous way, he began to tutor them when they didn’t have scheduled lessons. He’d even told them he was beginning to enjoy his lessons. Even if his tutor was somewhat childish.

“Oh?” Maxie had quirked a brow as his plump friend began to talk about his tutor. “A childish tutor? I didn’t think you had much patience for adult children.”

_“I didn’t think I was going to handle him very well at first.”_ Tabitha signed slowly. _“But, I don’t know, he’s growing on me I guess. He talks about personal life a lot more than he should at work. But it’s kind of cute.”_

At that the redhead smiled and hummed softly. “Just the talking is cute? Or is the talker cute?”

_“Shut up, Maxie.”_

“Ah, ah, ah. I want to know.” Maxie’s smile had grown and he leaned forward slightly in his seat with an expectant look on his face. It made Tabitha roll his eyes. For such a serious man Maxie was a bit of a gossip.

_“Fine. Yes, I think he’s cute.”_ Tabitha shook his head slightly as Maxie chuckled and shared a glance with Courtney, the woman peering over her open book at them now.

“You should ask him out.” She suggested after a moment.

_“Why? I don’t know him that well.”_ Tabitha argued as he frowned slightly.

As an answer Courtney shrugged and went back to reading her book. “That didn’t stop me from getting a date with Shelly.”

xxx

“You’re really improving fast, man!”

Tabitha rolled his eyes even as he smiled politely at Matt’s announcement.

“Pretty soon you’ll be able to move up to a more advanced teacher. You’ve already torn through almost my whole lesson!” Matt’s sudden laughter bounced around the room and he grinned widely in excitement for his student. Tabitha, however, had frowned slightly.

_“Move up?”_ he asked after a moment. _“I thought I was going to keep learning from you.”_

Matt chuckled softly and shook his head. “Nah. Much as I’d love to keep teachin’ you, there’s not a lot more I can teach. I’m not as advanced as some of the other teachers here.” He scratched the back of his neck and glanced away with an almost sheepish expression. “Gotta say I’m gonna miss our time together though. Not a whole lotta people sit patiently while I babble about myself. You’re pretty great to talk to, man!”

A slight smile tugged at the corners of Tabitha’s lips at that. Quickly he fished a small notepad and pen out of his jacket pocket and flipped the notepad open to a clean page.

_‘I’ve got a question for you then.’_ He wrote, scoffing at the old way he used to communicate. Sign language was so much easier now.

Matt took the notepad and chuckled as he read the note, fishing a blue marker out of a drawer in his desk and smiling as he wrote his own note next to Tabitha’s.

_‘Alright then. What is it?’_

Tabitha’s smile widened slightly and he decided it was now or never to ask his question, though he was nervous. Slowly his pen scratched across the paper, taking longer than necessary to spell out the few short words. Eventually he slid the paper back to Matt and sat up straight in his seat.

_‘Will you go out with me?’_

Matt stared down at the paper quietly.

On the wall beside them the soft ticking of the clock hanging there could be heard loud and clear.

Eventually Tabitha began to feel foolish. He’d just asked a man out without putting much actual thought into it. Now a million thoughts raced through his head. What if Matt wasn’t interested in men and was now repulsed that Tabitha was? What if he’d just ruined the budding friendship he’d began to create? Just as the brunette was about to simply get up and leave, the sudden motion of Matt’s arm guiding his marker across the paper stilled Tabitha. After another few moments the notebook was slid back to its owner and Matt sat back in his chair.

Nervously Tabitha pulled the paper closer and glanced down at it. He froze slightly as the words stared back at him and slowly a smile formed again on his lips.

_‘Let’s grab a coffee after the lesson.’_


	3. Tide Pool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I was swept into a tide pool and got stuck, but thankfully you showed up to help. Also, yes, I have a fish tail and could you please stop staring at it?” AU

Maxie frowned as he carefully maneuvered himself away from a sea urchin at the bottom of the water. The last thing he needed was to be pricked by one of those while he was stuck in the tide pool with it. It wasn’t a very deep pool, but the rocks surrounding it were slimy with algae and getting a good grip on them in order to pull himself out had proven harder than expected. And so the redhead had been stuck there for hours.

He’d tried calling for help at first, but with the silence in the air he was sure the beach was abandoned for the moment. Well, it was late in the season and the air had begun to grow cooler. He couldn’t fault anyone for not being on the beach this close to fall. The absence of people definitely didn’t help him though.

After what seemed like an eternity had passed, a voice finally caught his attention. It sounded as if someone was singing in the distance and slowly moving closer.

Maxie sighed in relief, glad he was likely to rescued, and called out to the mystery singer. It took a few tries to get their attention, judging by when the singing cut short, and the trapped man was glad to hear someone yell back to him. Shortly he could hear footsteps on the rocks and gave another sigh of relief when a man’s face appeared over the edge of the tide pool.

“Ah, good. I was afraid I’d be stuck in here all day.” Maxe called up after allowing a small smile to appear. “Would you mind pulling me out?”

Unfortunately the muscular man above seemed frozen in place which made the smile leave Maxie’s lips. The other’s eyes were wide and he made no move to hide the fact that he was openly gawking at the captive in the pool. He even rubbed his eyes and blinked slowly as if he thought he was imagining seeing Maxie. It was slightly rude in the redhead’s opinion.

“Holy shit! A mermaid!”

Maxie frowned and huffed out a breath at that.

“Excuse me?” He snapped, feeling a bit irritated now. “I am not a mermaid! I am obviously male.” For emphasis he puffed up his flat chest and flared the fins on his ears. They were much longer and more decoratively colored than a female’s, though he wondered if humans even knew that.

The man above blinked, looking shocked, and took a step back. That made Maxie falter. If the human ran off there was no telling how long he’d be stuck. Before he could say anything though the other had already turned and dashed away, taking Maxie’s hope of freedom with him.

“Damn…” The merman sighed and his ear fins drooped. He didn’t stay upset for long however as the sound of pounding footsteps soon returned, this time more numerous.

“Down here! Look!” 

“Whoa! You weren’t kidding!”

“Well I’ll be.”

The man from before had returned and with him now were two others. One was a curious looking woman with blue streaks in her hair, examining Maxie as if he were a fish in a bowl. That wasn’t far off from reality though. The second man standing next to the earlier one was a huge wall of muscle, a bit intimidating to the merman, who seemed to almost have stars in his eyes as he watched Maxie. The captive only allowed the three to gawk for a few moments before he began to grow irritated once more.

“Yes, yes, gaze in amazement at someone who’s been asking for help.” He grumbled, rolling his eyes when the group visibly jumped. “Would one of you please just help me out of this damn pool? There is an urchin in here doing its best to stab my fins.”

The three humans began to glance back and forth at each other, generally concerning Maxie after a moment. Perhaps he’d done wrong calling for help instead of waiting for high tide to escape? He really hoped these three weren’t actually scientists or collectors of some sort. He’d heard of merpeople being captured sometimes by humans for various reasons. Just as he was beginning to internally panic about possibly screwing up, a beefy hand was being extended toward him. Maxie blinked in surprise and glanced up at the widely grinning face of the intimidating man.

“Well c’mon!” The man prompted as he made a ‘come here’ gesture with his fingers. After a short pause Maxie nodded and grabbed onto the offered hand, careful of his claws. He squeaked as he was pulled from the water in a quick move and glanced between the humans suspiciously when he was merely held in the muscular man’s arms.

“Jeez, it’s like his tail’s made’a rubies!” The first man exclaimed as he grinned in what Maxie could tell was excitement. 

“Yes, well, it’s not as interesting as that scar on your face.” Maxie quipped.

That seemed to amuse the group for a moment later they all chuckled. It didn’t seem that funny to the redhead. 

“If you’re all finished laughing I would greatly appreciate being taken back to the water now. My group will likely be starting to worry about my absence.”

Maxie rolled his eyes when the scarred man gave him a sheepish look.

“Sure, no problem! Let’s get ‘im back ta the ocean, aye, Matt?” The huge man holding Maxie nodded and began trekking through the rocks toward the shore, walking carefully for the merman’s sake.  
Once the water reached up to Matt’s waist he paused and lowered his cargo into the waves. Maxie wasted no time in wriggling away from the human and sighing as the fresh water rolled over him. Not wanting to be rude, he popped up again and gave the three a nod.

“Thank you for helping me out.” He called to them. He was greeted with wide smiles and a wave from the scarred man. Maxie waved back to them and with a flick of his tail he disappeared beneath the surf.


	4. The Contest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When May shows up with two tickets to a Master Rank Beauty Contest, Archie can’t say no to going with her. Once there they find someone familiar on the other side of the stage competing for first place.

The contest halls weren’t usually a place one would find the now ex leader of Team Aqua, but this day was an exception.

It had been May who had dragged him there, the child champion proudly holding out tickets to a Master Rank beauty competition. It wasn’t often the scamp got to sit in the audience instead of flaunting her own pokemons’ talents, so Archie couldn’t turn her offer down. Besides, May was a pro at using her childish charms to needle the pirate into agreeing to just about anything.

It was, however, a slight pain to learn that he wouldn’t be allowed to wear just any old thing into the contest hall. Well he was allowed, but May decided she wanted to dress up which meant she wanted Archie to dress up as well. In the end he settled on a nice blue collared shirt (to fit the beauty themed color, or so May had said) and a nice pair of light blue jeans. He’d tried to wear a pair of almost black jeans, but ended up being told he’d look like a giant bruise and that they weren’t leaving until he changed.

Once the two entered the contest hall May took off to save them seats. It wouldn’t be long before the theatre was filled and the contest was set to start soon. Out of curiosity Archie made his way closer to the dressing rooms for the contestants and watched as a woman dressed in a startling shade of yellow appeared in one of the doorways. Hearing the announcer call for the audience to return to their seats for the beginning of the contest made him turn away. If he wasn’t there for the opening show he was sure May would give him an earful.

Sat in the crowd of excited contest fans, Archie found himself soaking up the excitement. It was a bit like being back with his entire Aqua crew on successful missions. He could see May watching him out of the corner of his eye and turned to grin wide at her, chuckling when he got a smile back. Soon an eruption of cheers sounded out all around them as the announcer took the stage and began to introduce the contestants.

“Ladies and gentleman!” The announcer boomed through his mic, “Today we are proud to present for your viewing pleasure the Master Rank Beauty Contest! Our contestants today have dominated the fields with their dazzling displays and have ridden their success up to the very top! And today we’ll see which of them has what it takes to bring home the Master Rank Ribbon!”

Again the crowd erupted in cheering, May shouting out in glee. Archie knew the scamp had already won all of the Master Rank ribbons herself, but knew it was different when watching someone else compete. It was hard not to be drawn into the mood around them.

“And now to introduce our lovely contests! Contestant number one: Arianna and Summer!”

From behind a velvet curtain on the stage stepped the woman in yellow Archie had seen before. She produced a pokeball from a little handbag on her arm and released a milotic, smiling as the crowd erupted once more.

“Next we have contest number two: Chase and Moonlight!”

Stepping up beside the woman and her milotic was a teenage boy dressed in a suit of dark blue and white. From his pokeball sprang an absol, its fur snow white and gleaming like a diamond under the stage lights. Both trainer and pokemon seemed to puff up at the attention of the crowd.

“Next we have Miss Ruby and Francis!”

Out strode a woman in a brown and black dress, a flowing sash tied around her waist and an enormous bow tied to the back of her hair. From her pokeball, a luxury ball no one could miss, came a lopunny that curtsied to the crowd cutely. For a move more suited to an actual cuteness contest it fired up the crowd none-the-less.

“And last, but not least, contestant number four: Maxie and Vesuvius!”

Archie froze in his seat after hearing that familiar name. Heck, both names were familiar. It couldn’t possibly actually be them though. There was no way.

From behind the curtain stepped the familiar figure, clad in a red and black suit that looked like it would be more at home at a millionaire’s ball than in a simple contest hall. The suit was form fitting, showing off Maxie’s lithe body and somehow making him seem taller. The gleam of freshly polished black dress shoes caught the pirate’s attention for a moment before the movement of a pokeball being produced made him look up. In a flash the ex-Magma leader’s camerupt burst forth in a plume of steam, sparking the fire in its humps to cause a burst of what looked like small fireworks to explode among the steam. The display caused the crowd to roar louder than before and Archie could see the redhead soaking up the attention and swelling with confidence.

“Holy miltank! I didn’t know Maxie did contests!” May shouted in surprised excitement, almost bouncing out of her seat at that point. Archie quietly agreed with her and found himself suddenly thrilled that they’d caught the contest.

Archie would have never thought that a contest could be so exciting to watch, especially one geared toward beauty. But seeing the pokemons’ moves turned from a battle style to one made to impress the audience certainly kept his attention. It seemed to end all too soon in the pirate’s opinion. As the judges tallied up the scores the contestants stood attentively with their pokemon and the audience murmured enthusiastically over who they thought would win.

Archie’s roar seemed to dominate the wave of cheers as Maxie was awarded first place.


	5. What Could Have Been

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“C’mon, Maxie. We’ve been through this whole mess more ’r less together. Figure we should end this mess together too.”_
> 
> _He extended a hand out to the shorter man and chuckled when Maxie sighed as if pained, the smile stretching his lips showing that he was anything but._
> 
> _“Only until we reach the base of the mountain. No doubt our teams will both be waiting for us there.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, I tried for something sad. Ah...

_Archie stared at the orb in his hand with both wariness and anger, desperately wanting to throw it as far as he could. Yet the object never left his hand._

_Beside him stood Maxie, his former rival clutching the opposite orb and staring down at it with immense disappointment. Archie wondered what was running through the redhead’s mind. Maybe he was thinking of how things could have gone wrong if it was his plan that has succeeded. How wrong would things have gone if it had been Groudon to awaken and bring its wrath to the world instead of the sea dwelling Kyogre? Would things have even gone wrong at all? Maxie had always been better at planning ahead than the pirate. Perhaps everything would have worked out for Team Magma. Not that it mattered now anyway._

_The old couple at the peak of Mt. Pyre stood waiting for the two._

_As one the leaders of Team Magma and Team Aqua moved forward to return the colored orbs to where they belonged. Without a word the ex-rivals turned to descend the mountain once more, not quite reaching the top of the first set of steps off the peak before Maxie froze in place. As the Magma leader turned and made his way back toward the couple Archie paused. He could have walked off then and there and left Maxie to walk back alone. Instead, something told him to stay put as Maxie gave his sincerest apologies for all he had done._

_When his speech was through the redhead turned and started for the steps once again. A look of surprise crossed his features to see Archie still standing there waiting for him. Soon surprise gave way to a tiny smile and the Aqua leader grinned widely in response._

_“C’mon, Maxie. We’ve been through this whole mess more ’r less together. Figure we should end this mess together too.”_

_He extended a hand out to the shorter man and chuckled when Maxie sighed as if pained, the smile stretching his lips showing that he was anything but._

_“Only until we reach the base of the mountain. No doubt our teams will both be waiting for us there.”_

_Despite his words, Maxie didn’t release his grip on his companion’s hand once they reached the last step of the mountain. Archie failed to let go either._

_Over time the teams were merged together as one. Maxie and Archie became co-leaders flanked by their four proud admins and their small army of grunts learned to work properly together. Maxie’s training regimen kept everyone in peak performance while Archie’s more lax attitude toward things kept everyone from hitting high stress levels. And surprisingly everything worked perfectly. Minus a few complaints about the reds, blues, and purples of their new uniforms clashing of course._

Archie sighed as he turned his eyes to face the light of the sun trying to shine through the pouring rain outside. The sky was the same dark gray as it had been when he went to sleep and the storm showed no sign of stopping. Though lately it never did.

The Aqua’s back snapped several times as he rose from the hard floor of the cave he’d taken shelter in, a groan escaping his lips. Slowly he glanced around and a frown wormed its way onto his lips. Nearby Shelly sat, her head turned toward her leader with a dull look of worry on her face. Beside her lay the slumbering form of Maxie.

For a long while Archie was unsure of what to say. There wasn’t much to say those days. Shelly had become a shell of her former self and Maxie had all but died on the outside. If not for his own admin the Magma leader would have died for real. Though Archie didn’t even know the guy he felt a pang of loss for Tabitha. The poor man had been swept away at the start of Kyogre’s rampage when he had knocked Maxie out of harm’s way. Matt too had been lost to the waves, sucked under by a whirlpool while they’d all tried to flee to higher ground. Archie wanted to think that they’d find the second Magma admin somewhere, hoping the sight of Courtney would snap Maxie out of his death-like state.

For now though, all the three survivors could do was hope for the best and pray their shelter wouldn’t flood any time soon.

**Author's Note:**

> I'll be aiming to take on different pairings depending on how the AUs strike me.
> 
> If you happen to enjoy my writing, I'm open to suggestions for new AU prompts.


End file.
